So, Who Owns The Land?

So, Who Owns The Land?
A different question is even more important...

While in Israel, I gave a lecture to the tour group on the topic, “Who owns the land?” I tried to be fair to both the Palestinians and the Israelis because there are arguments on both sides. But, as you might guess, for several reasons, and especially for the fact that God gave the promises to Abraham and his descendants, I believe Israel has a prior claim.

But let’s go to the heart of the matter.

I will raise only one of the controversial questions about this topic. Briefly stated, it is this: Which of Abraham’s sons inherited the promise of the land and worldwide blessing? The Palestinians (based on Islamic teaching) say that Abraham’s oldest son, Ishmael, the son of Hagar, inherited the promises. Interestingly, the Qur’an does not actually say that it was Ishmael whom Abraham was willing to sacrifice on Mount Moriah, but the teaching of the primacy of Ishmael has become one of the universal beliefs of Islam. If Ishmael inherits the promises, the claims of the Jews fall by the wayside.

My point is that the question of who owns the land is related to the question, “Which God should we serve?” Palestinians believe that Mohammad descended from Ishmael, who received revelations from Allah, before whom all people should bow. Whereas Jews (and Christians) believe that the true God is that of “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” On one level we can say that the dispute about the existence of Israel is also about a clash between two religions—or two Gods.

Jehovah or Allah? The geographical center of the dispute is Jerusalem; the spiritual center of the dispute is wrapped up in the question: Which God deserves our allegiance? Who owns the land is one thing; who we should worship is another.

When I am asked, “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?” the answer is no. Let me be perfectly clear in this: there are not two Gods—one worshiped by the Muslims and another worshiped by Jews and Christians. There is only one God—He who is worshiped by the Jews and Christians—the God of the Bible.

According to the Qur’an, Allah has some of the same attributes as the God of Scripture, yet at fundamental points, he is so radically different from the God of the Bible that we can safely say, “No, Muslims do not worship the God of Scripture.” Allah was one of many other pagan gods in Mecca and was only elevated to prominence because he was the “god” chosen by Mohammad. Knowing this, we have a better grasp on how to understand Muslim worship and practice.

At Moody Church Media, we believe that Israel has a right to the land, but this is not the focus of our ministry. Our burden is that people from all religions and regions of the world might understand the words of Jesus, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Our passion is to proclaim the Gospel and exalt Christ crucified.

Got At Work In Islamic Lands: Muslims Meet Jesus In Dreams And Seek The Gospel

God is reaching Muslims in new and surprising ways to bring them to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Some encounter Jesus in dreams that point them to the Gospel. But the Gospel is often hard to find in Islamic lands, where sharing Christ is often a crime.

Q: We are hearing reports that Muslims are turning to Christ in great numbers. Is this true?

A: I spoke to a missionary leader who said that more Muslims have come to saving faith in Christ in the last 20 years than in previous centuries! Of course, we cannot prove that this is so, but the reports are that yes, many Muslims are coming to trust in Christ.

It is difficult to find hard numbers, but estimates are in the hundreds of thousands. Please keep in mind that when Muslims come to Christ they often do not identify themselves lest they be killed. For example, the laws of Saudi Arabia explicitly state that conversion to another religion is a capital crime.

Q: What do you think of the reports that Muslims are having dreams that lead them to Jesus?

A: We must be careful here. I believe that God does not bypass His Word. I’ve spoken to former Muslims who have had dreams in which they saw Jesus. These dreams prepared them to receive the Gospel; the dreams themselves were not the direct means of their salvation, but the dreams made them ready to accept the Gospel when they heard it.

Think of it this way. The star did not take the wise men directly to Bethlehem—it pointed them to Jerusalem where the scribes opened the Scriptures and read that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Only then did the star reappear to take them to the manger. Just so, dreams themselves are not the Gospel, but they awaken Muslims to the reality of who Jesus is. Later, they meet a Christian or are given a Bible and they are ready to receive its message.